Edgeworth's Christmas Carol
by MadManMatt64
Summary: After an encounter with Gumshoe and Phoenix, Miles sees the ghosts of his past to help him see the light. I know its a little out of season, but I had this idea and couldn't get it out of my head.
1. Chapter 1

Edgeworth's Christmas Carol

I don't own any of these characters or basic plot. Those belong to Capcom and Charles Dickens respectively. If I did own Ace Attorney, Investigations 2 would have come out in America

Chapter 1: Setting the Scene

Christmas time, the busiest time of the year for Miles Edgeworth. Sure it was advertised as the most "wonderful" time of year, it was also the busiest for a prosecutor of Edgeworth's stature. He was practically wading through paperwork concerning murders, suicides, theft, and all other crimes the holiday season bought about. All of this and much more has caused Mr. Edgeworth to lose his sight of the Christmas spirit and in turn become extremely irritable, and depressed at this time of year. That is until his former mentor and three other spirits from his past help him once again see the light.

We begin our story in the High Prosecutor's office at 9:00 P.M on Christmas Eve, where Miles Edgeworth is still working on the mountains of paperwork of all the cases he had finished earlier that month. He was extremely irritable right now and just about anything would set him off. So imagine his frustration when he was just about to get ready to leave when the door to his office flew open, while someone shouted "SIR!" at the top of his voice, startling Edgeworth and all the while scattering all the neatly sorted files.

Looking up to see who it was, he saw none other than Detective Gumshoe, looking like his usual scruffy self except he was wearing a Santa hat now. Not seeing what he had done quite yet, he yelled "Sir, I wanted to ask you an important question!"

Edgeworth, quite angry that the neatly sorted files were now all over the place, said in a dangerously low voice "Tell me Detective, are you so blind as to _not _see all of this paperwork, or are you just that stupid."

This was completely out of character for Edgeworth, and Gumshoe was shocked. In their long career together never had Mr. Edgeworth called him stupid. Sure he got that from other prosecutors and detectives at the precinct, but _never _from Mr. Edgeworth.

Finally getting over the shock and seeing the state the office was in, he replied by saying in a sad tone, "I'm sorry sir. I guess I just wasn't thinking things through.".

"Well that wouldn't be the first time." mumbled Edgeworth, bending down to pick up the now scattered paperwork. Gumshoe decided to help so that he could ease the tension. Wanting to start a conversation (Remember, this is Gumshoe we're talking about, he doesn't know when to back off)he said "Well anyway Mr. Edgeworth sir, I was wondering if I could ask you a question?"

"Oh yes, I believe you said that as soon as you came into my office and ruined a whole evening of work", Edgeworth said in a sarcastic tone of voice. Gumshoe nodded, still taking in that Edgeworth was being rather callous today. "Yes, sir. I was wondering if I could take Christmas off sir.", he said cautiously.

Edgeworth just rolled his eyes and said "Detective, you know as well as I do that this is the busiest time of the year, and you know that you just can't walk in an ask me for a vacation out of the blue."

Gumshoe then got defensive "I've never had a vacation all this year sir!" he shouted

Edgeworth then said "Well if I didn't keep having to cut your salary every other day than I wouldn't also have to cut your vacation to one day a...".

Then the realization hit him. Gumshoe actually _beat_ him in an argument. It was really quite astounding. Who knew he could actually do it. It may be unessential to say but Edgeworth was genuinely impressed.

"Exactly sir, and I want my vacation now." he said in a serious tone, that really meant business.

At this point Edgeworth couldn't do anything but give him his leave, "All right Detective, you win. You get your vacation, but come back all the earlier the 26th.

Gumshoe was ecstatic, "Thank you, sir! I'm going to spend the entire day tomorrow with Maggey, and eat three instant noodle packages instead of one!", he then started dancing about, and Edgeworth couldn't help but crack a smile.

When he finished he than said, "If you don't mind my asking sir, what are your plans tomorrow?".

Then Edgeworth's rank mood came back just as soon as it left. He said in a monotone voice "I have no plans for tomorrow Detective."

Then another voice answered, "No plans on Christmas? Come on Edgeworth you don't mean that."

It was a voice that Edgeworth knew too well, "Hello Wright. I didn't expect your company."

"I bet you also didn't expect my daughter either huh?", he said in the nonchalant tone that he adopted a few years ago.

Through the door came a young girl of 15 in a baby blue top hat, a smile on her face, and a dark blue coat on to keep out the cold.

Edgeworth knew that it was Trucy Wright, but didn't address her and kept his attention on Phoenix, "What are you doing here. You have no business here, your not an attorney anymore." he said in a dark tone.

If Phoenix was fazed, he didn't show it, "Calm down Miles, I just wanted to know if you wanted to go to a little dinner tomorrow at the Wright Anything Agency."

Edgeworth was shocked. Him go to dinner, at a time like this? To him this was an insult, "As you may or may not see Wright, I am taking care of case files, and as you know they take time to do. Or did you forget after forging that evidence, and losing your badge?"

Everyone except Edgeworth had the same expression on their face: shock. Phoenix was now clearly angry at Edgeworth now that he brought up the forgery like that even though his name was cleared. "Watch yourself Edgeworth, your treading on thin ice.", he said, anger apparent in his voice.

Trucy decided to defend her adoptive father, "Yeah Mr. Edgeworth! Besides I thought Polly cleared his name!"

Edgeworth just ignored her and said to Phoenix, "Wright, I'm sorry I said that, but you know how much I deplore Christmas and everything it stands for."

Trucy looked shocked (again), "You hate Christmas! Who would hate the season where spend time with your family and loved ones!", she asked practically shouting

Gumshoe also looked surprised, "Yeah sir, why do you hate Christmas?", he asked in an equally loud tone.

Edgeworth knew he was alone but still he kept going, "For your question Detective, that's for me to now and for you to not find out, and as for you young lady, where you see joy and good will, I see nothing but commercialism and greed. I find Christmas is a day where no one can get any work done because they are too ignorant to realize that Christmas is just another day on the calendar and is nothing special, and as it only seems that I am the only one who knows this, I shall be working here tomorrow. Now good day, Wright.". When Edgeworth finished his rant he sat down to continue sorting the now picked up files.

The Wrights stood there, dumbfounded at Edgeworth's statement. Phoenix was this first to speak. "So you never celebrated Christmas at all? Even when we were children?", he asked, his tone accusing.

Edgeworth didn't answer the question. All he said was "Keep Christmas your way and I'll keep it mine.", in a monotone, disinterested voice.

Trucy responded by exclaiming "You don't even keep Christmas at all!".

Edgeworth was now shouting, "Then let me ignore it! All I want is to be left alone on that accursed day! In fact all I want is to be left alone right now!", he turned to Gumshoe, "Gumshoe, you have your vacation, so you may leave now if you want.".

Gumshoe left without a word, leaving behind the two, rather offended Wrights. Again Phoenix spoke, "You know Edgeworth, you weren't always like this.", he turned to Trucy, "Come on Trucy, Apollo is waiting for us. Besides I don't think we're wanted here anyway.", he said in his now usual nonchalant tone again.

Trucy closed the door as they left and Edgeworth heard a fit of coughing from behind it, but he really didn't care, their was work to be done. At about 10:15 he was finally done again, so he left his office to go down to the indoor parking lot, and got into his sports car to drive back home and hopefully forget all that happened that night. Of course nothing could prepare him for a visit from his now deceased mentor and three other spirits of his past.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: A Mentor's Warning

Manfred von Karma was dead. Plain and simple. After being convicted for the murder of Gregory Edgeworth he was put to death a year after his sentence. So it was absolutely impossible for him to come to see Edgeworth in the middle of the night. But this is what Miles Edgeworth saw when he came to his front door

At 10:45 P.M a weary Edgeworth came to his front door and was just about to unlock it when he heard a moan, that sounded almost in the distance, "Edgeworth... Edgeworth.", it said in a deep, gruff voice that Edgeworth new too well.

He looked at the center of the door and saw something that made his jaw drop. It was Manfred von Karma's face, looking more wrinkled then when he was alive, and a lot more pale too. So pale that he looked almost see-through. Edgeworth looked at the ghostly image with a look of horror on his face

"M-Manfred von Karma?" he said horrified.

With that the face of his mentor receded into the door, leaving a shocked and confused Edgeworth. He quickly unlocked the door, went inside, bolted it again, and ran into his bedroom right away. He never believed in the supernatural, not after _that_ incident, but he was still rather shocked of seeing the dead von Karma's face. Deciding to go to bed to clear his senses, he changed into his satin wine red night-clothes, and heading straight to bed.

At 11:15 he again heard the moan, "Edgeworth... Edgeworth."

He woke up right away and sat up in his bed and looked at the door. That was when he heard the chains. Clanging and clinking up his stairs accompanied by a noise that sounded like foot steps. Then through the door came one of the things he feared the most, above elevators and earthquakes. Manfred von Karma coming back to life. But he was looking rather worse for ware. He had wrinkles he didn't have when he was alive, his usually pristine clothes were tattered, probably due to the chains connected to various objects, and was missing his cravat. He was also looking rather depressed and sad.

He sat down in a chair across the way from his pupil and asked him a simple question "You don't think I'm real do you?" he said in a tone that said he had basically given up on life.

Edgeworth plucked his courage and said defiantly, "No I do not think you are. I had nothing to eat for dinner, so you could be nothing more than a delusion of hunger!", he finished with a yell.

von Karma took off a bandage he was wearing on his head, and when he did he let out an unearthly scream that made Edgeworth cover his ears it was so loud. It was akin to the one he let out when he was found out as the murderer of his father. He wrapped the bandage around his mouth and said "Now do you believe me?"

Edgeworth didn't want to hear it again so he said, "Yes, yes, I believe you. So why do you come to me tonight, _Sir_", addressing him as he did in the past, but with venom.

von Karma ignored this and said, "I have came to save you."

Edgeworth scoffed, "HA! I must really be insane. The Manfred von Karma I knew would never help anyone if he could help it!"

von Karma screamed again, "Do you not see these chains boy! These are the chains I forged when I ever did the most sinful things in my life! Oh woe is me to try and chase perfection! No one can truly be perfect but it was a lesson I learned too late! These chains are connected to all the evidence I forged and are themselves created by false testimony! You have them too Edgeworth, but they are connected to every case file you have worked on while ignoring your friends, and the chains are made of every hateful word you said to them! They are not as long as mine, but they still grow! Christmas time is when they grow the most, and it is my fault that they do for I told you all the evils of Christmas when it only should have been the good!".

Edgeworth was dumbstruck. Chains? He saw no chains on himself, but von Karma said they were. And he was apologizing to him for ruining his childhood? He decided to try and comfort him for if von Karma was kind to him, Edgeworth felt he could be kind to him too, "Is their anything I can do to ease your suffering?".

Manfred spoke again, "Me? No. You however have a chance at redemption."

Edgeworth was eager to know how to save himself so he exclaimed, " Yes tell me, so I may be able to save myself!"

von Karma then said, "Tonight, you will be visited by three ghosts of your past."

Edgeworth paled at those words, "On second thought I'd rather not go through with this."

von Karma continued, "The first will be a man you haven't seen for years and will come when the clock chimes one."

Edgeworth was looking uncomfortable now and asked shakily, "Couldn't they all come at once and get it over with?"

von Karma still went on, "The second ghost will be a former rival of yours and will come when the clock strikes two."

Edgeworth was now shaking, "I'm telling you I am not going through with this!"

But von Karma was about finished, "The last ghost will be one man you only met once yet had great influence in your life, and will come in his own due time."

And with that Manfred von Karma got up and went to the window. He opened it and beckoned Edgeworth over. He got out of bed, and what he saw out the window, shocked and horrified him. Ghosts, all of them had chains, and they were all men of law. Detectives and lawyers, chained together by forged evidence, no doubt the chains were made of the false story's behind them. Judges were chained to the gavels of their false verdicts, and the chains were made of all the false sentences they passed. But worst of all, was the man known as Kristoph Gavin. All of his chains were connected to his greatest sin: a single piece of paper that looked like it was a page from a diary. It was the forged evidence that was used to get Phoenix Wright convicted of forgery and in turn, lose his badge.

They were all moaning about the sins they had committed to be in this limbo. Some said they wanted to protect a loved one. Others said that they wanted to glory of being recognized. All of them had one thing in common: personal gain.

Then von Karma joined the chorus of moaning and floated out the window to join them. Then they all disappeared into the ether, leaving a very scared Edgeworth behind. Still shaken he only said two words on the matter, "What nonsense."

With that he climbed backed into bed, hoping and praying that it was all a dream, and fell back asleep. That is until 1:00.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Gregory Edgeworth, The Ghost of Christmas Past

There was a grandfather clock in the living room of Miles Edgeworth. It was a very old Edgeworth heirloom, made of mahogany, and had a very loud chime. Anyone in the house could hear it, it was so loud. So when the clock stuck one, Edgeworth awoke, remembering his old mentor's warning, and sat up looking around. After sweeping his gaze around the room, he said the only word that came to mind, "Nonsense."

No sooner than he said this, their was a bright, blinding light that made him cover his eyes. When he opened them he saw a man in a wine red suit, not that different from his own, wore thick, black rim glasses, had black hair with gray highlights, and a face that Edgeworth hadn't seen since he was nine years old. It was none other than Gregory Edgeworth.

Seeing his father in front of him naturally put him into a state of shock. He didn't know what to do. Should he talk first, or should he wait for Gregory to speak first. He decided to, again say the only word that came to mind, "Father?"

Gregory nodded and said, "Yes Miles its me. von Karma sent for me to help clean up your act. Normally I wouldn't help the man who killed me, but if it was to help you, I would do anything to keep you from suffering his fate."

Still not entirely convinced, Edgeworth decided to test him. "So, if you truly are my father, tell me something only he would know.", he said in a apprehensive voice.

The ghostly Edgeworth sighed, "If I must. Three days before DL-6, otherwise called Christmas Day, I gave you a fake attorney's badge so that you could practice to become a defense attorney, like you always wanted to."

Now Edgeworth was convinced it was his father. No one knew he had a plastic attorney's badge that he wore for the three days his father was left alive. He kept it through his years of being trained as a prosecutor, as a memento of what could have been. Only his father, and the people who were at the trial that took place before DL-6 (who probably all forgot what he wore) knew that he had one.

Now more willing to talk to his dead father, he asked what he thought would be a very hard issue to discus with him, "Do you care that I became a prosecutor?"

Gregory just smiled and said with the kindness Miles hadn't heard for years, "I don't care what kind of lawyer you are, just as long as you seek the truth, that's all I care about." He suddenly adopted a more serious tone, "But I'm not here to talk with you son. I'm sorry we can't catch up, but us ghosts are on a schedule and we've already wasted five minutes."

Miles Edgeworth got up and walked toward his father. "Well, what is it you need to show me father.", he said in a softer version of his usual voice.

His father replied, "I will show you your past, so that we may see why Christmas is such a dark day for you.". He offered his arm, "Take my arm so I may show you."

Miles cautiously grabbed his fathers arm and it was as if his bedroom melted into nothingness, being replaced by a rather large courtyard in front of a rather large mansion. In said courtyard were three children, and seen through the window three adults, talking over tea.

Edgeworth knew where he was. He was in Munich, Germany, at the house of Manfred von Karma, December 24 2005

Gregory spoke again, "Do you recognize the children over there Miles"

Miles took a closer look at them. Two were boys and there was one girl. One of the boys had black hair with silver highlights, wine-red suit, black bow-tie, and a frowning, somber face. The other boy had platinum blonde hair and wore glasses. The girl was wearing an elaborate blouse and a black skirt. Her most striking feature was her hair, which was a blueish, green color. She had a riding crop in her right hand. Miles took a deep breath and said, "Yes, I do. The one in the suit is me, The blonde is Kristoph Gavin, and the girl is Franziska von Karma."

Gregory Edgeworth nodded and said, "Care to take a closer look and see what their talking about. They can't see you, so there will be no cause for alarm."

Miles slowly walked to the place where the children were talking, and he heard himself talking, "Well Kristoph, I don't know weather I like you or not, but I respect you in that you are dedicated to become a lawyer."

Obviously Kristoph just introduced himself a few minutes earlier. He started talking in a cool voice, never losing his smile, " Miles, I don't know weather I like you or not, but I respect that you respect me, for that is the first step to getting on my good side."

Franziska looked insulted by what he had just said and she pointed her crop at Kristoph, "How _dare_ you copy a sentence nearly word for word! It is insulting to the speaker of that sentence that you can't think of anything to say!"

Kristoph looked down at her and said " Please be quiet little girl, the adults are talking."

Again she flinched at this. After a few moments she took her crop and whipped the sixteen year-old Edgeworth, who screamed in pain and and asked loudly, "What are you whipping _me _for!"

She smiled, waged her finger and said mockingly, "Two reasons: one, you didn't defend your adoptive sister, and two, you were closer."

The older version of Edgeworth chuckled. Even when she was nine years old, she was still the same Franziska von Karma he knew and loved. Loved. Why was that in a past tense? It should be the same Franziska von Karma he knows and loves. He still loved her after all these years so why didn't he just tell her. "_Because_," he thought, "_She doesn't feel the same way for me_.".

He shook his head to regain his focus and saw that Kristoph was laughing too. He once again spoke, "As amusing as it is to see you two squabbling, you must stop, for I see your father, my parents and my little brother coming outside."

He was right, for coming out the door was Manfred von Karma, Alphonse and Heidi Gavin, and trailing behind was little Klavier Gavin, a far cry from the ladies man, rock and roll star he would grow up to be.

Manfred von Karma glared at the two children he took care of and said in his usual gruff tone, "Well, I hope you've grown to like each other in the short time you've known each other, because you will both be going with Mr. and Mrs. Gavin to Berlin to be tutored to become fine prosecutors, as they are two of the highest ranking prosecutors in Germany, and I can't always keep an eye on you two, now can I."

He looked over to Alphonse Gavin, "They are in your care now Alphonse. Don't disappoint me with sub par work.

He walked back inside without looking back or saying good-bye. Franziska would have been sad if it hadn't happened so many times before.

Gregory walked over to his son and said, "Lets leave this scene and go someplace else at a different time.".

The courtyard melted and then turned into an office with five people: Miles, Franziska, Kristoph, and Mr. and Mrs. Gavin. The clock read 6:00. Mr. Gavin looked at the clock, shut the file he was working on, and said out loud, "Come on everyone, its Christmas Eve! Shut those files and get every prosecutor in the building in here!"

Everyone had a different reaction to this. The other Gavins face palmed in embarrassment, Miles didn't know how to react, and Franziska scoffed saying, "What a foolishly foolish sentiment that only a foolishly foolish fool would foolishly say. We can't get work done on Christmas Eve because you insist on having these silly party's! I refuse to participate."

Everyone else in the room shared her sentiment, but Alphonse Gavin held firm, "Come on, don't

be sticks in the mud! Live a little guys!"

After much persuasion, They all closed the case files and prepared for the Christmas Party. Gregory walked to his son and said, "What do you think of this scene Miles."

Miles chuckled, "I always thought that Klavier took after his father, and Kristoph his mother. Klavier and Alphonse, were always nice and kind to others, honest, and never forged anything. Kristoph and Heidi both walked down a path that led them to kill or discredit others. Needless to say I liked Mr. Gavin the most."

Later when everything was set up and everyone was there, Mr. Gavin pulled out a violin and said, "Anyone who wants to play come on up!"

Klavier (who was in the building waiting for the party to begin) was the first to step up on stage and took an electric guitar and followed the tune his dad was playing by sound. He was quite good at age seven.

A few other prosecutors took up different instruments and started playing carols. After a few minutes all the prosecutors started to mingle with each other. Kristoph was talking to a defense lawyer who happened to be in the building. The Miles Edgeworth of the future knew that this would lead him to becoming a defense attorney, have a fallout with his mother, and eventual self-exodus to America. It would also be the beginning of the end for the both of them. The fallout was an actual physical fight, and during the course of it, Kristoph had gained a deep cut on his right hand. Fearing discovery of what she had done, his mother shoddily stitched it up, leaving a fearful looking scar. The scar that one day would be his undoing.

But for now he was just Kristoph Gavin, prosecutor-in-training, and thinking of Kristoph, Miles thought to himself, was not the point of being here. No, he was here for his own salvation, and looked at the actual party itself. Now the people had started dancing to the music of Mr. Gavin and son. It was lively and easy to see why there were people dancing to it.

He looked around the room and saw himself standing in the corner clenching the sleeve of his shirt, a habit gained by staying around a von Karma for as long as he had. Looked around again and saw Franziska asking around for a dance. Since their were no other children their (she was twelve at this point), all of the adults said no and subsequently gained a bruise where she lashed them with her crop. Klavier, ever the gentleman, saw her and went over to see her and trying to act as cute as a seven year can possibly be, said "I can see your trying finding a partner to dance with. Maybe I can help you with your plight, ja? What do you say Fraulein?"

Franziska didn't know whether to be flattered or annoyed. She decided on annoyed and asked, "Tell me Klavier Gavin, why do you insist on dancing with me?"

Klavier wasn't fazed, "Because Fraulein von Karma, you seem to want to dance with _someone_ so I thought it may as well be me."

At this she just smiled and wagged her finger at him saying, "Thank you, but no thank you Klavier Gavin. I'd prefer to dance with someone who is a little closer to my age."

Hearing this, the ethereal Miles Edgeworth laughed an actual, genuine laugh. Knowing what was going to happen next, it was too funny. Knowing she was, in a last ditch effort, going to dance with the eighteen year old Edgeworth, and she was twelve, and Klavier was seven, it was too much. Apparently seven years older was an _entirely _different story then five years younger. And not only that but earlier she was all to eager to ask an adult to dance with her, so her statement was a flat-out lie. Then again, in court most of them were, so she must have been practicing on Klavier.

Klavier nodded and said, "Ja Fraulein, I understand. I'd better get going, papa probably will be wondering where I am.", and left for the stage again.

2 Hours Later

It was nearly time for the last dance and Franziska still didn't have a partner. Nearly everyone was either taken, didn't want to dance, or was just done dancing. She was at the end of her rope, and at this point _anyone_ would do. Then she saw Miles at the other end of the room without a partner and went over because she was, well desperate.

She engaged the conversation rather bluntly, "Dance with me, Miles Edgeworth."

Young Miles was taken aback by her bluntness and her willingness to dance with him. He replied as bluntly as she had, "No."

At this point she was not going to take no for an answer, "And why not."

At this he smiled and wagged his finger (another habit he picked up from the von Karma family) and said, " Oh for a few reasons, but the main one being- ARRGGHH!"

She didn't want to hear any of his reasons so she just whipped him instead. She then yelled, "Miles Edgeworth! I don't want to hear anything from you! I want a dance and since you are the only person available at this point, you will dance with me!"

Miles didn't have a choice in the matter lest he be whipped again. Besides he _did _want a dance but he didn't ask anybody. Besides, it was the last dance, so whats the worst that could happen. He responded by saying, "Very well Franziska, I'll be your partner. Besides, seeing as its the last dance I see no harm in it."

She smiled and offered a hand. Young Miles took it as the Older Miles looked on smiling at the memory. Gregory walked over and asked his son, "Why are you looking so fondly at this shade Miles?"

Miles chuckled and said, "I now we don't have the time for me to soliloquize but if you haven't already guessed, I love Franziska von Karma. She may be pompous, a perfectionist, and whip happy, but to me, it's all part of a person who tries too hard to be exactly like her father. In truth, I know she can't handle that legacy, and its tearing her apart."

Gregory nodded and said, "You can't help who you love. I can tell she is quite different from her father in many respects. But now is the time that we leave for possibly one of the worst Christmases of your life.

Miles knew what he was talking about and didn't want to see it, "Please father, don't show me that day." He begged.

Gregory shook his head and said, "I'm sorry Miles, but I must. It will help to save you.". He stuck out his arm.

Miles looked back at him and Franziska dancing and wished he could just watch it until the end. But either way he took his father's hand and the scene turned into the outside of the courthouse on 28th of December, 2016. He saw himself, along with a younger Phoenix Wright in his prime as an attorney being shadowed by his spirit medium assistant, Maya Fey. Miles walked closer to them. They weren't talking yet so he heard the beginning of the ensuing conversation. Maya was the first to speak, "So

Mr. Edgeworth, whats it like to finally free again?"

Edgeworth sighed and said, "To be honest, I'm relieved. I finally know that it wasn't me that killed my father, but that evil man."

Phoenix also sighed and said, "Hey, don't remind me of that guy. I'm still reeling from that trial.

Maya nodded and said, "Yeah me too. But if you think about it, he got what he deserved, didn't he? I mean, he lost two trials in his perfect forty year record, in the same _day_, and he got convicted as the murderer of your father to boot! Well it serves him right for killing your dad and tazeing poor little old me."

Phoenix looked offended, "Hey! He shocked me too!"

Maya responded by scolding him, "Yeah, but I'm a girl. That automatically makes it ten times worse."

Before Phoenix could object, other Miles saw something that made his heart leap. He tried to convince his friends to leave, or vise-verse, "I'm sorry you two, but now that my name has been cleared of two murders, I have a some case files to sort and organize."

He power walked in the direction that Phoenix _should_ have known was the opposite direction of the Prosecutor's Office, but Phoenix wasn't known for his sense of direction.

Miles walked down the steps of the courthouse toward a young women with blueish-green hair.

He said politely, "Hello FranzisKAAAAAAAAA!"

Her new bullwhip stung even worse than the old riding crop she used to use. She looked at him with anger in her eyes. He had never seen her this angry before. She said in a voice that matched her face, "Miles Edgeworth! You are a truly despicable person! After all he did for you, and you accused him of the murder of your father! He..." she couldn't finish her sentence, but he knew what she was going to say. She was going to say, "He would never do something like that", but she couldn't bring herself to say it because she knew he did murder Gregory Edgeworth. Everything was against him, and she knew it so she stopped the sentence. Then she did something she never did before. She cried.

Miles knew this was highly unusual and stepped closer. She started talking through her sobs, "H-How c-could he do s-something like th-that. I know his w-win record was i-important to him, b-but to kill to avenge it?".

She now held her face in her hands. Miles knew that he had to comfort her or else their would be a situation. He did the first thing that came to his mind, a mind which was also in love with Franziska. He gently tore her hands from her face and kissed her. To him, he felt as if he had died and gone to heaven. Here he was kissing Franziska von Karma, which was one of the dreams he had when he wasn't having the nightmares he knew he would never have again. Even though her face was wet from the tears she was crying, it was still enjoyable.

The only thing was it didn't last long at all. She pulled back a second after he kissed her, and she looked incredibly pissed off. Even though she had the whip at her side, she hurt him the old-fashioned way: she took off one of her black leather gloves and gave him a nice slap to the face.

If there was an opposite to cloud nine, this was it. That slap felt equivalent to someone taring out his heart, stomping on it, and laughing in his face. She was tearing up again and was shouting, "I _hate _you Miles Edgeworth! You think that you can just kiss me out of pity! This is something I will never forget! Somehow, someway, I will beat you in court! I will no longer live in yours or my father's shadow! I will surpass you in every way!"

She was crying tears of anger and sadness. Miles knew he had to explain himself or else she would literally kill him. He spoke as quick as possible, "Franziska please, I didn't do it out of pity! I love you!"

She scoffed, "Ha! You love me? You are a truly pathetic man Miles Edgeworth. Know this Miles Edgeworth, I am a von Karma. I shall only love someone who is perfect in every way. You lost that privilege the day you lost to that man Phoenix Wright. And now you don't care about a perfect win record?

"The only point in being a prosecutor is to win, plain and simple. If you want me to ever "love" you, denounce you new ways and resume being perfect."

Miles tried to put on the hardest face he could considering how he felt and said, "No Franziska.

I love you, but nothing could change my resolve."

Franziska was crying harder then ever now and said, "Then enjoy your life knowing your one-sided love will forever never be returned!"

She turned heel and ran down the sidewalk crying. Miles ran after her, but couldn't catch up to Franziska. In the end, he gave up and walked slowly back to his home. The older Miles Edgeworth and Gregory Edgeworth watched on, with Miles gently crying. Gregory asked his son a question, "Why did you go after her?"

Miles sighed a deep sigh and answered, "What can I say, I loved her. Why wouldn't I go after her. Regardless of her feelings toward me I had to let her know that I truly loved her. Our relations have improved over the years, but I have never made any more advances to her after this day. I will love her and only her."

Gregory nodded. It looked like he was about to say something, but he abruptly started fading.

He started talking quickly, "I'm sorry son, but my time is about up. You have about time for one more question."

Miles did have a question, and equally as quickly as his father, he said, "I do have a question. Franziska was basically raised the same way I was, so she must hate Christmas as well. So tell me, will she get the same experience I have had?"

Gregory shook his head, "No, she is beyond the help of divine intervention. No ghost can save her now."

Miles was now even more sad. Knowing Franziska would befall the same fate as her father was too heartbreaking. Even though she had no feelings toward him, he still cared about her. Miles was borderline sobbing now and asked his father, "Why not? She is just as deserving as I am, so why can't she be saved?"

Gregory smiled and said, "I said she is beyond having a _ghost _help her. Your a lawyer, part of your job is to find loop-holes. Think about what I just said Miles. Well I believe my time is up so I shall see you, in hopefully not the near-future."

Everything turned black around Miles. He blinked and saw he was in his room again, on his bed. Even though he was very tired, he couldn't sleep, all he could do was wait for 2:00 to come.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Mia Fey, The Ghost of Christmas Present

Miles didn't have to wait too long for the clock to chime two. He again thought of his old mentor's warning. What did he mean by a former rival? No one beat him in court until Phoenix came along, so who could be a former rival of his?

As if to answer his question a light in the next room over shown brightly below the gap in the door. A voice came along with the light, "Come in, Miles Edgeworth."

It was a woman's voice, so Miles knew it was a woman who was his previous rival. He couldn't think of anyone right now so he just followed the voice to the hallway outside. But now there was no hallway outside his bedroom, it was a defendants lobby in the courthouse he usually worked at. There was only one person in the lobby. She had long brown hair, wore a black jacket with a matching skirt, and had a rather large bust. It took a few seconds to recognize her but he eventually figured out it was Mia Fey, who was indeed, a former rival of his.

He walked closer and said, "Hello Ms. Fey. It has been a while, hasn't it?"

She smiled, "My, aren't you outgoing? Whatever happened to cold as ice Miles Edgeworth?

He shrugged and shook his head, "Oh, your student took care of him. But let me assure you, I may be warmer than I used to be, but get on my bad side, and you will see cold as ice Edgeworth yet again.

She chuckled and asked, "So, do you know why I'm here?"

He nodded, "Yes. I do believe that you are going to show me parts of my past."

She shook her head and sighed, "Actually, no. I'm here to show you what tomorrow will look like if you just stay at your office all day long."

Edgeworth looked surprised, "What good would that do? The present has nothing to do with my hatred of Christmas."

She just smirked, "It's all about you, isn't it Miles Edgeworth? This is how everyone around you reacts to you decision. So if you could please grab my arm, I'll show the consequences of you hatred.

She extended her arm and Miles took it, but instead of everything melting, there was a bright flash, and he found himself in the Los Angeles mall. There were last minute shoppers _everywhere_. Miles couldn't help but speak his mind, "Where and when are we?"

She laughed, "Where and when? This is Los Angeles on Christmas Day! I thought you would have figured that out Miles."

He shook his head, "Well, I haven't exactly been around here before. Incidentally why are we here any way? Is there anyone I know here?"

She nodded and said, "Follow me."

Even though there was a crowd of people in front of them, she just went right through people without any trouble. Miles went toward the crowd more slowly than Mia, but he also went right through the people. He had to run to catch up with Mia, but he found her standing outside a magic shop.

He was going to ask why they were there, but she pointed at the shop window before he could. Taking the hint, he looked through it and saw the familiar gray sweatshirt and blue beanie of Phoenix Wright, and the red vest and two hair spikes of his apprentice Apollo Justice. He walked in and found himself surrounded by top hats, capes, magic kits, and anything else a respectable magician would need. He walked over to were his best friend, and his apprentice were talking. Apollo was the first he heard, "Really? He said that?"

Phoenix nodded, " Yep, and I've never seen him act like that before. I mean, I know that around December a lot of bad things happened to him, but to take it out on me, Gumshoe, and Trucy? Its so unlike him."

Miles paled. He knew who Phoenix was talking about, even though he never said his name. Was he really that bad? Maybe he did overreact a little. Apollo responded to Phoenix, "Well he must have a reason for it. Maybe he broke up with a girlfriend a few Christmases ago."

"_Well,_" Edgeworth thought, "_he's half right_."

Phoenix scoffed, "Yeah, there's only one person I can see him with, but I highly doubt they like each other, and I know for a fact that never had a girlfriend before, so I don't think that's the reason."

"_Is he talking about Franziska?_" Miles thought.

Phoenix spoke again, "Anyway we're not here to talk about my friend's love life or lack thereof.

Were here to pick out a few presents for Trucy."

Apollo fake gasped, "A few! You never struck me as someone who would pay for anything if he could help it."

Phoenix rolled his eyes, "Oh tee hee, very funny. First of all I wouldn't call myself cheap, I'd call myself frugal. Secondly considering the circumstances she could stand a Christmas where she gets everything on her list for once."

Apollo also rolled his eyes, "So tell me, why do you open presents _after_ dinner?"

Phoenix shrugged, "So I can go last minute shopping and not suffer the consequences my easily replaceable protege."

Apollo sighed, "Getting back on an earlier topic, are you sure that she has incuritis?"

Miles looked on with interest. Incuritis is an extremely rare disease that until recently, had no cure. The cure could be extracted from the cocoon of a specific silk worm native to the northern European country of Borginia. It was strictly forbidden to export the cocoon out of the country, due to the fact that if made in a different way, that cure would become a poison with no antidote. Currently there was only one known case of the disease in America, so there was an extremely low chance that it would strike twice anytime soon, let alone have Phoenix's daughter contract it. Amazingly the Borginian trade regulations changed so that you can import the cure itself, but it would cost thousands of dollars to do so. Phoenix looked somber and said, "Yes, I'm sure. At her last check up the doctor said that he found the virus that causes it, so there is no doubt. Unless I can come up with 500,000 dollars, she will eventually die." he chuckled, "But if it wasn't for you, she wouldn't even have a chance."

Apollo smiled, "I didn't even know she would contract it, but at least I know that because of me she might have a chance at living."

Phoenix smirked his now trademark smirk, "Well at least I now the possible imminent death of my daughter won't stop you from stroking your ego.

Apollo flinched, "H-Hey! That's nothing to joke about!"

Phoenix sighed, "Your right, I shouldn't have done that. She is my daughter after all, blood or not.", he tried to change the topic, "Anyway, those presents aren't going to pick themselves now are they? Lets hurry up and find those things on her list."

They walked away from where Miles was standing. He had a somber look on his face to rival Phoenix's. Mia walked closer, "Poor Phoenix, his only family in the world, and she isn't even related."

Miles kept looking ahead, "I know, if she did die he would be crushed. When he lost his badge, he gained a daughter, but if he loses Trucy, he doesn't get anything back."

Mia put a hand on his shoulder, "We'll visit them again later, there are two more people you should see before we go to the Wright Anything Agency."

The bright flash of light returned and they were standing outside the crummiest apartment complex in town. Miles offered a look of disgust, "Who do I know that lives in this horrible place?"

She shrugged, "Well lets find out."

She went to a room labeled IS-7, "Shall we?"

She walked right through the door. Miles shook his head, as if to see if he saw that right. He attempted the same thing and he found it worked for him too. He walked inside and found, to his surprise, Detective Gumshoe fixing a few Christmas lights in the corner. Mia looked on with a look of pity on her face. She addressed Miles as he looked around, "I know he had to live frugally in order to get by, but this. You must like cutting his pay Edgeworth."

Miles' tone was defensive, "Well if he wasn't so incompetent at his job he..."

He saw something that made him stop. A little girl, no older than seven, ran out of a bedroom down the hall. She wore a smile on her face, but was incredibly thin. She had an exited tone of voice as she talked to Gumshoe, "Uncle Gumshoe? Is Maggey really coming to dinner tonight?"

Gumshoe chuckled, "Of course Janice, why wouldn't she. We are dating after all so I don't see why she wouldn't come?

Janice shrugged, "I guess because she hasn't been here for a while, I guess. Well, it doesn't matter now does it? Now I know shes coming over I can start making myself look nice!"

She ran back into her bedroom to freshen up, and Gumshoe went back to hanging the lights. Miles just stood there with his mouth open. He had no idea what to say, but fortunately, Mia said something for him, "You didn't now he was taking care of his niece, did you?"

Miles nodded, "No, I didn't. He never told me he took care of a little girl.", He thought about his next question, "How did she come to be in his care anyway?"

She sighed, "The sad thing is that her parents aren't even dead. Her mother, who also happened to be Gumshoe's sister, dropped her off here, and never came back. Its not like she couldn't care for her, she was incredibility well off, but I guess she just didn't want Janice."

It shocked Miles about how little he knew of his most loyal subordinate's life. He never knew that Gumshoe had a sister, let alone a niece. He also didn't know that this was all Gumshoe could afford on his salary. He knew that Gumshoe lived on instant noodles and off-brand products, but he thought that was so he could pay for his apartment, but this really _was _all he could afford.

He looked to Mia, "I think I've seen enough here."

She nodded, "Agreed, but there is one more person you should see before we go to the Christmas party."

She stuck out her arm and Miles took it, and again there was a bright flash of light. Now they were standing on the 10th floor of, what Miles recognized as the Prosecutor's Office. They were standing outside room 1028. He knew that was Franziska's door number.

They both walked inside to find Franziska... pacing? She was also holding something in her hand but Miles couldn't see what it was. He looked around the office and saw something that made him jump. Case files were strewn over her desk, but not one was filed, sorted, or even placed neatly on her desk. This was way out of character for Franziska, who always kept her cases neat so that she could find and sort them better.

She started talking to herself, "I hate this foolish holiday. All this cheer and goodwill nonsense is enough to drive me mad. Yet there is one thing I hate the most about these next few days.", she held up the object, which Miles now saw as a picture, "I hate you Miles Edgeworth, I hate that you spurned me all those years ago when you just said I love you to make me stop crying. I mean nothing to you, and you mean nothing to me. I hate your foolish personality, your foolish friends, your foolishly wonderful smile, your foolishly handsome face, and your gorgeous gray eyes..." she trailed off with a dreamy look in her eyes, obviously fantasizing about herself and Edgeworth.

She shook her head to shake off such thoughts and went to her desk, and out of nowhere pulled out a bottle of wine and a glass, poured herself some and said, "I don't know what to do. He is only two floors up, but I can never go up there and tell him my feelings. Why can't do it? Do I fear rejection, or a laugh or taunt in my face. I guess I'll never know.". She took a swig and went back to work.

Edgeworth didn't now what to say or do. Should he jump for joy knowing that Franziska loved him as well, or should he remain solemn knowing that she was so disheveled and depressed because she was unsure of how he would react to her saying she loved him. But this was totally unlike her, he visited her office on Christmas Day many times before, so why was this the day she cracked? He asked Mia this and she replied, "She has always been like this Edgeworth, she just got progressively worse over the years. First was the pacing, then the false hatred to your picture, then she started drinking while talking to herself when she was twenty-one, and now she just ignores her work until her routine is finished. That last one started this year, but you didn't go into her office today so that you could just work alone."

He looked at Franziska again, and felt even worse for her. Because of him and his hasty reaction all those years ago, she thought that he was just doing it so as to comfort her, even after he confessed his love. A part of her hated him for that, but a part also thought he was telling the truth, so now she was in an internal conflict, and it seemed that this time of year made her slightly unstable because of it. It didn't help that her father had told her many times that love was the most unnecessary emotion of all, and even though she threw off his courtroom tactics and much of his influence for perfection, she could not do the same to her personality as easily. She was stilled chained to her father, even after he died.

Miles felt ashamed, but he didn't know why. Was it because his other self could not think of a reason to come and not know of her sadness, or that he had once again seen her in one of her more vulnerable moments? Mia came closer, "Its time for the Christmas Party, Edgeworth."

He sighed and took hold of her arm, and again there was a bright flash, and now they were standing outside the Wright Anything Agency. There were cars outside the building and nearly all of them had personalized plates. To amuse himself after what he just saw, Miles read the plates to see if he could discern the people who drove them. There was FRAUMAN, SCIENCE, SCALEOF with a license plate holder from Justice, Oklahoma, ME.D., and I heart FEENE. In this order he knew it was Klavier Gavin, Ema Skye, Apollo Justice, Maya Fey, and Iris. He never knew that Maya and Iris knew how to drive, "_Maybe they learned in the seven years they were gone_." he thought. He also noticed a Lunch Land truck a little distance away, with a new tag-line, "Lunch Land, now serving dinner too!"

Mia and Miles walked through the door and there were Phoenix's closest friends and a few of his past clients. Miles swept his gaze around the room and saw all the guests. There was Klavier, Ema, Apollo, Maya, Iris, much to his annoyance Larry Butz, Pearl Fey, Will Powers, Lana Skye, Max Galactica (he was providing some _fabulous _entertainment for the guests), much to his surprise the Borginian songstress Lamiroir a mere few months after her eye surgery to make her see again, and Ron and Desiree DeLite. Also in the kitchen he could make out the silhouette of Angel Starr, who was probably cooking the Christmas Dinner. Trucy was intently watching Max work his magic (literally) and everyone else was mingling. Phoenix was catching up with Iris (who were both making googly eyes at each other) and both the Fey girls, and Larry was making his never ending and very annoying advances to Lana (Who thankfully wasn't looking interested). This was also happening with Klavier who, like Larry, was advancing on the other Skye sister, but she too, was putting him down. Powers and Mr. DeLite were talking about the many costumes they wore in their life, but for Ron it was just one.

Mia gave a crooked smile and thought up a quick a plan, "I'll be right back", was what she said to Miles. She went over to the place where Klavier was saying his many unwanted pickup lines to Ema, and also the place where a punch bowl happened to be. Even though she couldn't be seen, she was trying to play it sneaky by ducking and sidling in the shadows. She made it to the bowl and discreetly dumped the whole thing onto Klavier. Klavier shouted, "Ach! What happened! My suit is ruined!", he turned to Ema, "Fraulein Detective, did you have something to do with this?".

She shook her head trying not to laugh, "No, but either your weight leaning against the table caused it to tip over, or the universe is at work against you!". She couldn't hold it in now, she was laughing at full force while Klavier left to get the sugary substance off his deep purple jacket. Mia walked back over to Miles. Miles was also laughing a little bit, but it didn't obstruct his sentence, "That's your whole plan? Ruin a man's jacket so that he'll leave a girl alone?"

She just smirked and responded, "Just part one of a matchmaking scheme if you must know."

She left him again when she saw that Ema and Apollo were talking about a case they had just solved, and out of nowhere, pulled out a sprig of mistletoe. She started to float until she was above them and hung the mistletoe there. No one noticed the mistletoe until the roaming eye of the sixteen year old Pearl Fey (who was still vehemently opposed to people not having someone to love) noticed the two of them standing together under the garland and pointed it out to everyone by shouting, "Hey everyone! Ema and Apollo are standing under the mistletoe and they haven't kissed yet!"

This garnered the attention of everyone there, including Ema and Apollo, who both looked up, looked at each other as if to confirm it was real, and looked up again. Everyone was shouting things like, "Come on, its tradition!" or, "Don't just stand their kiss her!". Apollo looked nervously at Ema, and Ema looked nervously at the crowd. Without her bag of Snackoos, she felt oddly vulnerable, and she again looked to Apollo for help. He whispered nervously, "What should we do?"

She was stammering, "I-I guess we should give them what they want, s-scientifically speaking."

He nodded and they both leaned in for a peck on the lips for the both of them. Everyone was laughing now and now there were new things said like, "You can do better than that!" or, "Where's your Christmas spirit you two, that was pathetic!". Both of them were blushing profusely now that they were put on the spot even more then they had before they even did kiss. But it was two people, one person for each of them, that drew them over the edge, and their names were Phoenix Wright and Klavier Gavin. Klavier, having just joined in on the fun said to Ema, "Well if I knew you kissed like that, I wouldn't have gone after you for so many years, ja?", and Phoenix, deciding to be a smarmy bastard said to Apollo, "Well Polly, I guess that's why you couldn't get a girlfriend for the fist twenty-two years of your life, huh?"

That did it. They were going to give them a kiss they would never forget, hell, they were going to give them a kiss that the both of them would never forget. It started out slow but eventually picked up in

speed. It was a passionate kiss, it wasn't a total make-out session, but it wasn't all that formal either. She smelt of chocolate and to him, it suited her perfectly, because even though she was bitter, if refined enough, she could be very sweet. Only now had she just noticed that he was rather muscular, probably due to the fact that he almost always rode a bike everywhere he went, and he only drove his car at night or when it was raining or snowing. So scientifically- ah what did science have to do with any of this! "_Plenty_." said a small voice in the back of her head, "_Its the primal instinct to want to reproduce, but for some reason is much more refined than that of, say a dog, and not only that_...", it trailed off and then came back sounding entirely different, "_Oh who am I kidding, I'm in love with someone who I can actually touch!_"

The entire thing lasted for ten seconds, and Phoenix had a bet going with Klavier, Phoenix thinking it to be less than or equal to ten seconds, and Klavier saying otherwise. Phoenix won fifty dollars that day (he made a mental note to put it in the fund for Trucy's cure). When they finally broke everyone applauded and cheered, making their faces even more red. Miles found himself joining in, even though he could not be heard.

Phoenix stepped out from between them and said sarcastically, "Well, I thank you Ema and Apollo, for the quality entertainment you have just given us."

Everyone laughed, including Ema and Apollo, who were now physically a little bit closer than usual. Phoenix continued, "Anyway, it has come to my attention that dinner will be ready shortly, however it will still take some time, so I propose that we play a game to pass the time."

Trucy replied immediately when he finished, "Can we play 20 Questions Daddy?", her voice was sounding raspy.

Phoenix smirked his all knowing smirk, "Of course Trucy. That is if everyone else wants to play too."

Everyone heard the unspoken part of that sentence that was basically saying, "You wouldn't deny the wishes of a dying child, would you?"

Phoenix was the first up and Apollo asked the first question, "Is it an animal?"

"Yes", was his reply.

Pearl asked her question next, "Is it small?"

"Nope", said Phoenix.

Lamiroir thought a few moments before she said, "Is it beautiful?"

"Depends on your definition of beauty.", Phoenix said in a wry tone of voice.

Then Max went, "Is it a circus animal?"

Phoenix laughed, "Please, it would be nowhere near a circus. Trust me on that."

Iris was next, "Is it rare?"

Phoenix shrugged, "Well there's only one of 'em if that's what you mean"

Trucy's voice was still raspy as she asked her question, "Is it a person Daddy?"

He answered confidently, but his eyes betrayed his worry, "Yes it is Trucy."

Klavier thought his question over and asked, "Do you know this person?"

Phoenix smirked as if he had thought of something funny, "Yeah, I know him."

Will Powers asked his question carefully, "Is he a helpful person?"

Still he smirked, "Sometimes yes, but he is quite disagreeable right now."

It was Ema turn to ask a question, "Is he cold"

Phoenix answered, "You have no idea."

Maya's turn, "Was he raised by possibly the worst family in the history of ever?"

Phoenix changed his smirk to a smile, indicating they were getting closer, "Yes he was Maya, yes he was."

Ron DeLite was up next, "Does he despise criminals, and normal people too?"

Phoenix was still smiling, "Why yes, yes he does."

Desiree DeLite was now asking, "Does he fear earthquakes?"

Still Phoenix was smiling, "Above all other things."

Larry was last up, "Well I'm gonna go out on a limb and say its Miles Edgeworth."

Phoenix looked at everyone and said, "Your right, and that's the game!"

Everyone had a good laugh, but there were two literal souls there who were not laughing. Miles was shocked at how badly his name was treated, and most of the things said after Will Powers' question were hurtful. He knew he could be cold but that was because he was socially awkward. Due to being taught how to be a prosecutor by Manfred von Karma and eventually Alphonse Gavin, he was kept away from the world. That and von Karma told him that he should always be cold, to strike fear into the hearts of your enemies and would be enemies, he would say. And the von Karma's being the worst family ever?

Sure they weren't the Brady Bunch, but it was a stable household, and no matter what, Manfred von Karma never abused them. He had the perfect chance to do so while Miles was in his care but he never did. Also he met the love of his life while living with the von Karma's, so it couldn't have been that bad.

But the thing that hurt the most was the hate criminals and normal people comment. Ever since he decided to go abroad without telling anybody and instead leaving a note saying 'Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth chooses death.' so as to throw them off the trail, he dedicated himself to finding the only thing that matters in court: the truth. Ever since he never left a crime scene without looking over every tiny detail that might help to find the real culprit, or get a wrongly jailed man a second chance. So to say that he hated the innocent, even after all he had done, was heartbreaking.

They did a few more rounds of 20 Questions until Ms. Starr told them that dinner was ready. At the head of the table their was Phoenix and on either side was Trucy and Apollo (Ema was next to him in case you were wondering). Before they began, Phoenix stood up and addressed his guests, "Before we begin eating, there is something I must say. As you may or may not know, my daughter Trucy is suffering from incuritis, a condition that is, as you may have guessed, incurable.", he paused to let it sink in. Miles noticed that Lamiroir was crying, which wouldn't be unusual in a situation like this, but something was a little off about it. It was as if she was losing one of her own children. Phoenix continued, "Now I am not going to ask you for handouts so that I can import the cure. All I'm asking is that your prayers and sentiments be with her tonight. Thank you."

Trucy was speechless. She didn't know what she could say to thank her father for such kind words, and that he wanted to pay for this himself. The fact he wouldn't except handouts, was something she was proud of him for. For most of her life spent as the daughter of Phoenix Wright, she had to use her talents in order for both her and her adoptive father to get by. Now that she couldn't preform her magic act anymore, Phoenix really had to overhaul his piano playing in order to both live as they were now, and pay to import her cure. She was proud of her Daddy, for finally being able to stand on both of his feet without her help, and with her being like a weight on his shoulders. She could only muster a few words, "Thank you, Daddy."

Miles was moved by Phoenix's words, and even though he advised himself not to, he had to ask, "Mia, will Trucy live through her incuritis?"

She sighed as though she didn't want to answer that question. But she did, "I am not entirely sure, for my realm is the present, but I do see an empty seat next to Phoenix's, and a top hat and cape, carefully preserved."

Miles didn't now which was worse, Franziska's melancholy or Trucy's imminent death. He couldn't decide, to him, both options were horrible. Miles asked Mia a question solemnly, "Is there anywhere else we need to go Ms. Fey?"

She nodded and stuck out her arm once again, and once again Miles grabbed it and the bright flash returned. When he opened his eyes he saw that they were in a cemetery in front of a row of graves. Fearfully, Miles asked, "Mia why are we here?"

She had a serious look on here face, "I haven't got much time left so listen well. You are not the person you once were, and I am happy for you because of it, but because of the children you have bore into this world, you still have ties to your old ways of life."

Miles was confused, "C-Children? I'll have you know that I'm a virgin, so I highly doubt that I have had any children."

She retained her serious look, "Oh, really? Then who are these behind me!"

When she said that, two young children, one a boy, and one a girl, stepped out from behind her, as if out of nowhere. Miles was disgusted at the sight of them. They had a likeness of features to himself, but the thing was, they didn't look like him at all. They were both dressed in rags, had sunken in eyes, and their lithe figures reminded him of Janice, but Janice would never look like these two hideous children.

Mia started talking again, "Their names are Anger, and Ignorance. They are twins in a right, as they compliment each other wonderfully as Anger leads to Ignorance of others strife, and Ignorance of many things would lead to Anger taking control of a person. Fear these two Miles Edgeworth, for both spell doom for any man."

Miles couldn't take it anymore, he had to look away, "Please take them away, I no longer wish to see them."

Her expression softened as a light appeared in the children's place and took them away, "Their gone now Miles, and soon so shall I."

Miles looked to her to see her fading from existence. He asked her one more question before she left, "Mia, earlier my father told me Franziska was beyond the help of ghosts, what did he mean by that?

She looked straight at him, "Exactly that, no _ghost_ can help her. I don't want to give it all away, but I guess I can give you one more hint."

She wrote something on a piece of paper, and handed it to Miles. He read it, but it looked like gibberish to him, "What's the meaning of this? Did you plan to give me false hope?"

She sighed, "Geez, your a _mirror_ image of you younger self Miles. I thought I told you better."

She was right, he did go to far, maybe their was a hidden meaning to the paper that he didn't understand. He looked up to apologize but she was gone. Instead there was a large man with white hair, a green dress shirt, a white vest that had pinstripes, and a large visor on his face with three glowing red lines to see with. He smelt of strong black coffee, and also held a white mug of it in his hand. He tilted his head back and took a long swig of it and finally addressed him, "Hello Dullworthless.".


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5, Godot, The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come

The ghost was standing there, waiting for Miles to respond. Miles didn't know who it was at first, but only because he met this man once in court and once in a mountain temple. He eventually recognized the coffee loving ghost as Godot, the prosecutor that took on most of Phoenix's cases in his third year as an attorney. Miles spoke, "Hello Godot. I didn't expect to see you here.

Godot was looking straight at him now, "Well I wasn't involved in your past as much as your dad or Kitten was, so yeah I can see why you didn't expect me.", He took another gulp from his never ending mug of coffee, "But since we don't know each other very well, we can skip the pleasantries and get straight to the point. You know why I'm here right?"

Miles nodded, "Well, since my father showed me my past, and Mia the present, I suppose you will show me the future?"

Godot gave a crooked smile, "Huh, maybe you aren't as dull as I thought. This deserves a new nickname, huh Edgeworthless."

Miles wasn't amused, "I thought I had a new nickname."

Godot was still looking smug, "You do. I first called you Dullworthless, indicating your stupidity and lack of any real significance, but now its Edgeworthless, meaning your smart but that you still have no real significance."

He was chuckling now, and still Miles was not amused. Godot took another long gulp of his coffee, and afterward said, "In any event, yes I'm here to show you your future. The first person you'll be seeing will come around here shortly.", he started chuckling again, "Leave it to Kitten to do most of the work for me and putting us in the W section. She's too good to me."

Miles rolled his eyes. Just then he heard footsteps coming their way. He turned around and saw a procession of sorts come their way. It was foggy that night but because of hair style he could pick out a few people. Two spikes; Apollo, two different people with topknots; Ema and Maya, porcupine hair; Phoenix. "_Wait,_" Miles thought, "_Phoenix is always wearing that beanie that Trucy made for him_._ And come to think of it, where is Trucy_?".

He scanned the people again, but couldn't find the baby blue silk top hat she always wore. The figures came out of the fog, and the only people he didn't see at first were Klavier and Iris. Still he looked and still he didn't see the energetic magician in the small crowd. Then he saw Phoenix carrying the top hat, and he knew the worst had happened. Trucy Wright was dead.

Phoenix held up his hand to indicate he wanted to go on alone, and everyone stood their waiting for him to beckon for them to come. He kept walking to the grave that Miles was standing in front of, and knelt down when he came to it. Miles looked over Phoenix and saw he was wearing his tacky blue blazer and slacks, his red tie, white dress shirt, black dress shoes, and... was that a badge on his lapel?

Phoenix started talking, "Hi Trucy. Sorry I couldn't come last week, I was tied up in court. Anyway how's it going with you. Are you mad at me for not getting enough money for your cure in time? No, you would never be that petty. Guess what honey, I got you a new Mommy. You remember Iris right? Yeah, we got married a few days ago. Pearl wasn't very happy about that.", he gave a weak laugh, "And you know what? Your going to have a knew sibling soon. I'd tell you which gender but its too early to tell.", He started to cry, "I love you."

He continued to cry his heart out, until Iris came over and put a hand on his shoulder, "Feenie, I think everyone else should say hello."

Phoenix cleared his throat, but was still crying slightly, "Y-Yeah, your right, I'll tell Apollo to come over and say hi."

They went over to their friends and Apollo and Ema came over. Both had tears welling in their eyes and Apollo spoke first, "Hi Trucy. I found out from Mr. Wright that we are half-siblings, but I'm not the new sibling he was talking about.".

Ema spoke next, "And speaking of Mr. Wright, we got married too. It was a double wedding so we were all there. Except for you. I would have made you Maid of Honor. Come to think of it, I think Iris wanted you to be Maid of Honor too. And you know what, you've got a nephew on the way too.

Apollo spoke again, "I miss you Trucy, not just as a assistant, but as a sister. Know that your big brother loves you."

They left and Klavier came over, "Hello Fraulein Wright. Your bruder told me everything about you two and I must say that you are luckier than me. Mein bruder was a truly horrible person, and I can't believe I didn't catch it at all. Herr Forehead may be heavily sarcastic, but he is a very kind soul and I am glad to have met him, and in turn you. I remember when you called me a prince,", he paused for a chuckle, "I couldn't believe that a fifteen year old Fraulein could stroke my ego that well. I miss you Fraulein Wright.

Klavier told Maya it was her turn and she came over and started talking to the grave, "Hi Trucy. I rarely got to see you but to tell the truth, you remind myself of me, full of energy and kindness, always with the happy go lucky attitude. You know, I asked Nick if I could channel you and then you could talk to each other, but he's always saying no to it. Maybe he's afraid to talk to you after he couldn't pay for the cure, even if you said it was okay as your final words. Nasty stuff that incuritis. Anyway, I'll keep trying to convince your old fuddy-duddy of a dad to have me channel you, but if not, I guess you won't see him for a while. At least you have your old daddy to keep you company while you wait. See you later."

Miles was beyond sad now. Not even Franziska's self-conflict could compare. He decided to ask Godot what happened. Godot perceived his question and answered it, "She didn't have a chance. Trite's piano playing couldn't afford both the cure and their living conditions, and two years after the party you witnessed, she died. Welcome to three years in the future, Miles Edgeworthless."

Miles had another question, "I saw that Wright was wearing an attorney's badge on his blazer. Did he take the bar exam again?"

Godot took another gulp of coffee, "He did. In fact, it was from the fund for his kid's cure that he paid to take it. He didn't touch the stuff for a few months but he did. He was almost there too, he got up to 450,000 dollars. He even used the leftovers to pay for his share of the double wedding."

Edgeworth knelt in front of the grave to read it. He read it aloud:

Trucy Wright

Oct 4, 2011- Dec 25, 2028

A Loving Daughter, A Wonderful Magician,

A Missed Assistant

Miles stood up again and looked to the left, to see his friends were leaving. Then out of the corner of his eye, he saw something, something he never wanted to see in his lifetime. Standing in front of a grave a little ways away, lodged into the ground, was a bullwhip.

Miles could not get there fast enough. He crouched in front of the grave, and sure enough, it was the whip she used all the time. Again he read the grave aloud:

Franziska von Karma

Jul 12, 1999- Dec 24, 2028

The Perfect Prosecutor

Miles was sobbing. She was dead. Because of him she was dead. She had probably committed suicide after she had reached her breaking point. No kind words were on her grave either, just her stupid obsession with perfection in prosecuting. Godot was behind him as he stood up. Miles' tears made it hard to speak, but somehow he made a sentence, "How did she die Godot? Please tell me."

Godot wasn't fazed at all by Miles' crying, he just went on smirking, "You wanna know how Filly died? Alright."

There was a lightning strike and Miles found himself inside the Medical Examiners office at the LA precinct. Godot looked through a few files and handed one over to Miles. He opened it and read the summary, "Two victims, Franziska von Karma and ...," he couldn't read the other name because the hand writing was too sloppy to make out, so he decided to skip it, "Case type, accident. Cause of death, hypothermia. Summary, the victims went into a meat locker on a crime scene. The handle fell off and they became trapped inside for a whole day. Rescue crews were sent but both victims were DOA."

Miles was curious. Who was the other person in the freezer with Franziska? He asked this to Godot, who said, "You'll find out soon. By the way there's someone else I have to show you."

The lightning strike came again and they were now standing outside apartment IS-7. Miles knew he needed to see Gumshoe again because no matter what, Gumshoe could always find the one silver lining, even in the darkest clouds. But inside Gumshoe was not being his usual optimistic self. He was unusually mopey right now, and Janice and Maggey were sitting next to him on the couch he was sitting at. Miles heard Maggey first, "Come on Dick! You can pull through it!"

Janice agreed with her, "Yeah Uncle Gumshoe! You can always find another job!"

Miles paled at the words, find another job. This couldn't be happening, how could Gumshoe get fired! Sure he was one of the worst detectives on the force, but he was incredibly loyal, and Miles would never fire him. But then, why was Gumshoe fired? Did he lose an important clue? No, he was absent minded, but he never lost any clues. Did he abuse his power? No, he was to kind to abuse anything. So then, what did happen?

Gumshoe spoke, "I guess Janice, but as a detective I only got 200 dollars a week, and that was barely enough to pay for this. I don't now where to find a job that pays that much, let alone a place even more cheep than this."

Maggey was shouting again, "Well, you can move in with me! You can stay until you can get back on you feet!"

Janice started shouting too, "Yeah Uncle Gumshoe! We can move in with Maggey for a while and when you find a job we can look for a new place to live, and we can be happy again!"

Gumshoe was half-smiling now, "Thanks you two. You know, the day he died I knew things would never be the same."

Janice and Maggey nodded and this left Miles confused. Who died? Who could have such an impact on this man's life, and then in death his entire world crumbles into ashes. Before he could ask Godot who he was, the lightning flash came back and they were now outside a seedy looking bar. Godot pointed his thumb toward the door and said, "Go on, get in there."

Miles walked in and found the bar was less crowded then he thought it would have been. He saw four people talking, and walked over. They looked like they were dealing a few things in exchange for some money, which the man with a money box and briefcase seemed to have. The man spoke, "Alright what have ya brought me here tonight?"

The first to speak was a middle aged women, "I've got a few of things from that abandoned house up in the nicer part of town. I've got a tea set, an embroidered handkerchief, and some night-clothes."

She offered them to the man and he gave them an appraising look, and so did Miles. That tea set was very rare, and he owned one just like it. Not only that, but the handkerchief had M.E. embroidered

on it, and the night-clothes looked exactly like the ones the he was wearing right now!

The man spoke up again, "Well, this set _is_ rather rare, and the handkerchief is embroidered with gold, so I'd say that 2,000 dollars is good."

She was overjoyed, "I knew hitting that house was a good idea! No ones lived there for a whole year now. You would think they'd have cleared out the place by now."

The others nodded and the man with the briefcase turned to another man that was wearing an eye patch. Eye patch man spoke, "Well I didn't go to that guys house, but I went to the house of one Franziska von Karma. I got a brooch made of turquoise and I found a few bottles of wine that might interest you."

Miles was shaking with unbridled rage as the man pulled out the broach and a couple bottles of Zinfandel and Sauvignon that Miles had the pleasure of tasting a few times on the few friendly visits he had with Franziska. How dare he enter the house of Franziska von Karma, and steal her favorite brooch and wine. How dare he he enter the house of Franziska von Karma, and live to tell the tale. How _dare_ he enter the house of Franziska von Karma when she was dead. These people had no respect for her when she should be mourned.

The man with the briefcase started talking again, "Okay, well turquoise isn't that rare, but that doesn't mean its not expensive, and these wines are from some fancy Italian vineyard so I'd say 500 dollars."

He turned to another woman who was carrying a duffel bag, "And what did you bring for me dearie?"

She smiled and laughed, "I went to the same house she did, and I got all of his Steel Samurai merchandise!"

She opened the bag and out poured Miles' fanboy nature. Action figures, autographs, signed photos, art books, every bit of merchandise Miles had collected over the years was right there. All four people had a good laugh. The man with the briefcase spoke again, "Who'd of thought that such a uppity snob of a prosecutor would be into this stuff. I'm sorry, but I don't deal in these things. Perhaps you'll have better luck with Ebay?"

They were still laughing while Miles stomped out of the bar. He asked Godot when he got out, "How did they get into my house? Did they just knock me out, or is there something worse then that?"

Godot gave his most crooked smile yet, "Yes it is something worse. Allow me to show you."

The lightning flash came again, and again they were in the cemetery. Miles was starting to feel the fear creeping up in him and asked Godot a question, "Godot, is this future fixed, or can it be altered if I can do something about it?"

Godot didn't say anything and instead took another gulp of coffee. Miles looked to the grave, walked closer and knelt down in front of it. Like the other two he read, he read it aloud:

Miles Edgeworth

Jan 23, 1992- Dec 24, 2028

Miles stood there with his mouth open and slowly, all the pieces were coming together. He was the other victim in the freezer. They died together. Miles couldn't process his emotions very well right now. He felt numb and had a look of dull surprise on his face. He asked Godot in a monotone, yet depressed sounding voice, "What happened"

Godot almost looked like he was pitying the poor man, "You two were at a slaughter house that happened to be a crime scene. While investigating she took you into a freezer, saying that she wanted to talk to you alone. When she closed the door, the handle broke off and you got trapped in there. Eventually hypothermia did its thing and before you both blacked out, you were cuddling together to share body heat.", he smirked, "Ironic isn't it? Two lovers die in each others arms, but they don't even know their lovers."

Then realization hit Miles like a ton of bricks. He was dead, and so was Franziska. He was now crying his heart out, and was now begging to Godot, "Please tell me this isn't real! I'm not the man I was this morning! Christmas truly is a day of kindness and good will! I don't want to see my name on that headstone! I want to see Franziska alive again! I will remember my past, live in the present, and think of the consequences for the future!", he grabbed one of Godot's legs, "Please! I want her alive! I want her alive."

He was weeping heavily, so much so that he didn't notice Godot fading away and being replaced by a bed post. Miles slowly opened his eyes and saw he was in his bedroom again. He jumped out of bed and checked around the house, and everything was there, the tea set, the monogrammed handkerchief, all his night-clothes, and every single piece of Steel Samurai merchandise he owned. He ran back into his room, and shouted at the top of his lungs, while crying tears of joy, "MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!".


	6. Chapter 6

**AND IT'S DONE! As you might have noticed, it's taken some time for me to finish this, and... well, a game came out right before this was finished. So... please ignore cannon discrepancies. The next Christmas movie based story, however...**

Chapter 6: Setting Things Right

Even though he barely slept at all last night, Miles felt completely refreshed and awake. Deciding to go to the bathroom to do his usual morning routine, he put his hand in his pocket, and felt a piece of paper. He pulled it out and saw it was the paper Mia had given him in the cemetery. Deciding to look at it again, he gave it a closer look, but it still looked like complete gibberish. He sighed. It was a slight damper on his good mood, but it really didn't matter, he was alive and so was Franziska.

He set down the piece of paper on his bathroom counter, and he started to brush his teeth. But then he noticed something in the mirror after he had finished. The gibberish looked like actual words. He held up the paper in the mirror, and he realized the reason he couldn't tell it was backwards at first was because it was in a fancy looking handwriting. He read:

No ghost can help Franziska von Karma.

But a man named Miles Edgeworth can.

You are her salvation.

He was her salvation. With him in her life, she would not succumb to her father's fate. He was smiling now. He was going to call the Prosecutor's Office to tell them he wasn't going to work, but if Franziska was involved, he could go over there for a while.

1 Hour Later

Miles straightened his cravat while walking to room 1028. Noting he was rather nervous of what Franziska could be like right now, he decided to wait a while before entering her office. He came to the door and stood there with his arms crossed. After waiting for about five minutes, he opened the door to see that Franziska was at her desk, cases neatly sorted. "_She must not have started her little routine yet_.", he thought.

She looked up to see Miles coming through her office door. Putting on a face that looked like she wasn't in any mood to see him (though secretly she was _always _in the mood to see him) she asked, "What is it that you want Miles Edgeworth?"

Miles was slightly disappointed that she didn't use his first name only considering how she felt about him, but he went along with it. Deciding to put up a facade too, he said in a casual tone, "Hello to you too Franziska. Can't your "younger" brother have a friendly visit with you every once in a while?".

She sighed, "I suppose so. I assume you want to talk about something then?"

Since there were no seats in the room other than the one that Franziska was sitting in, Miles kept standing. He decided that before he got to the point, that he could toy with her, "Yes, I'd like to talk about a few things. Firstly, you should get some chairs in here. How do you expect to hold a conversation with someone like this."

He could tell she wasn't in the mood for this. She rolled her eyes and said, "Well my only usual visitor is you, so why buy another chair for someone I know who barely ever visits."

He grunted and said, "Point taken.", his expression changed from playful, to something more serious, "Anyway, I'm not here to talk about that. I'm here to talk about December 28th, 2016."

She looked indifferent, "Oh, yes. The day you foolishly indicted yourself as the murderer of your father."

Miles knew he had to push through her "not wanting to talk about anything concerning a relationship" attitude. He decided not to be too forward, and see whether or not she understood where he was going with this line of questioning, "A little later then that."

She raised her eyebrow questioningly and said, "When you indicted my father then?"

He shook his head, "After the trial later."

She suddenly realized what he was talking about and a hint of a blush came to her pale face. She tried not to sound embarrassed as she said, "Yes. What about that? Have you finally come to tell me that what you did was a foolish thing and now your begging for forgiveness.

"No Franziska.", he said firmly, "I will not apologize for what I had done. I love you. I know that you love me too."

She looked calm, but her eyes betrayed her; it was as though see was looking at something she couldn't touch. She spoke again, "I said this before, but I suppose I'll say it again; as a von Karma, I only fall in love for those who are perfect."

"_Even though she loves me, she still won't be with me because of a doctrine she abandoned years ago?_", he thought, "_I'll have to convince her she _can _be in love with me_."

"Franziska, you can't possibly mean that. You've given up your father's ways, yet why don't you give into your feelings? And by the way, your not so perfect yourself Franziska von Karma. How many times had Wright beaten you in court before he lost his badge?"

She couldn't come up with a counter-argument for that. She was beaten. She was beaten and she couldn't be happier. With a sly smile on her face she got up, walked around her desk and did something Miles never expected she would do. She pounced onto him. While it was entirely welcomed by Edgeworth (Lord knows how many times he wanted it to happen), it was totally unexpected. He was expecting tears, a small reassuring hug, maybe even a kiss or two, but if he didn't want _this_ to happen, he could sue her for sexual harassment. They were rolling on the floor now, kissing deeply. Her hand was making headway for _there_, before Miles grabbed it, and with a mischievous tone of voice said, "Ah ah ah. I don't think we're ready for that yet. Besides I don't think our superiors would like it if we did this on the job."

She looked slightly disappointed that she couldn't take it further, but she understood where he was coming from. After all, they hadn't even went out on a date yet. She got off of him and they both stood back up. They straightened out their clothes and afterwords kissed. When they did one word was on both their mind's, "_Finally_."

When they finished they were blushing. Miles was first to speak, "While I enjoyed your company greatly, I regret to say that I have to go."

Hervoice had a hint of distress to it, "What do you mean go? You just got here."

He shrugged, "I know, but I have a few other things to take care of right now. You were at the top of my list."

She smiled, "I'm flattered. So what else is there on your list?"

He listed of only two things, "Get a few presents for everyone, and apologize to Wright."

She looked confused, "Presents? You've never gave anyone a Christmas present ever."

He smirked, "Well I've had something of an epiphany last night. I'd go into detail but its far to complicated at this point. By the way, there's a party going on at Wright's tonight. Would you like to come?"

She looked happier then she had for a long time, "I'd like that. That is if you'll be there."

"Of course I will. You can expect something from me later, you can count on it.", he said.

He turned around, opened the door, and smiled over his shoulder. She smiled back as he walked out of her office. Miles had completed his first task for that day. Next would be a few last minute gifts.

After a Long Commute

The mall never looked so frighting to Miles before. Well then again, he had never _been_ to a mall before, except for his excursion with Mia Fey's ghost. It also didn't help that he couldn't walk through the crowds like before, so he was not going to enjoy this. But if he had some luck, Wright and Justice would be here and he could kill two birds with one stone: Get presents and apologize to Phoenix.

Also he still had to think of a few things to give his friends. He had something planed out for Wright and Gumshoe, but he still couldn't think of anything else for Trucy and Franziska. He looked at a mall directory to see what shops there were, and took his time to think of who to shop for first. He decided on Franziska first due to her importance to him(not to say that Trucy wasn't important, just a bit lower on the list). But what should he get her? Jewelery? No, that would send wrong message this early in their relationship. A new whip? Possibly, but that would be more of a lost resort. Candy? He could hear her now, "_You know that I can't keep this figure if I eat sweets on a regular basis Miles Edgeworth!_". He could almost feel the whip stinging his cheek. Miles thought it over, "_It would seem that jewelery is my best bet, but I'm going to have to avoid rings right now_.".

Looking for a jewelery shop was easier said than done. Throngs of people made it hard to go just about anywhere. Not only that, but it seemed that every jeweler was so crowded that he couldn't get into anyplace he found. Deciding to finally man up for Franziska, he picked a jeweler and waited. And waited. And waited.

Many More And Waiteds Later

This was the most mind numbing experience of his life. After waiting in line for _two hours_, he finally got into the store. It was relatively small, but had a extensive collection of nice jewelry. Walking up to a female jeweler, and asked her, "Excuse me miss, but could you show me your necklaces please?"

She smiled, "Certainly sir, just follow me."

She led him to a glass case that had about fifty necklaces in it. At a quick glance, he noticed a white gold necklace that had a winding motif, and had a deep blue, 10-karat star sapphire as a pendent. He pointed it out to the clerk who said, "You have good taste sir, that's the most expensive one out of them all."

Miles braced himself, "If that's the case then how much is it going to run me?"

"About 20,000 dollars.", she said.

Miles visibly flinched. Sure he needed a gift for Franziska, and this necklace practically screamed her name, but that price was incredibly steep. Of course, this was a special person he was buying this gift for, and this new relationship was important to them both, so he decided he could shell out a few thousand bucks. Besides, he had a lot of money from being a prosecutor, and the money could easily be replaced, "I'll take it.", he said in a determined, yet defeated sounding tone.

The clerk looked visibly impressed, "She must be really special if you're buying this. We've had this for over three years now and I was wondering if it would ever be sold."

Miles nodded, "I can understand that. It is a beautiful piece."

The clerk took the necklace out of the case walked over to a register. Miles gave her the 20,000 and she gave him the necklace in a generic black felt case in a bag. He left the store, glad that he came out with a gift for Franziska. An expensive gift for Franziska, but it was a gift nonetheless.

He then went over to the magic shop that he remembered from his time with Mia. To his dismay, Phoenix and Apollo weren't there, so there went killing two birds with one stone. He didn't leave there empty handed though, as he bought an extra large magic kit for Trucy.

After that he took the two gifts and left for his house. It didn't take as long as the journey to the mall, but that didn't say much. Also he realized something when he was in the car; how was he supposed to wrap up his gifts? It was a question that he pondered all the drive there, and he only had half an answer. He knew he had some gold string that he had bought for no reason in particular, and that would be good enough for the necklace, but that kit was the size of a suitcase! It was clear that he needed to improvise. He just thanked his stars that he kept that thing after all those years.

A Few Hours Later

Miles stepped out of his sports car. He was parked in the driveway of the von Karma mansion. After making sure that he was as pristine as he possibly could be (Lord knows what Franziska would say if he had even one hair out of place), he walked to the door and rang the bell. What stepped out was someone who possibly couldn't have been the tight-fisted, whip-wielding Franziska von Karma, yet it couldn't have been anyone else. Gone was the smug look, hard eyes, overly formal air, and even the whip! Instead there was a genuine smile, a relaxed feeling, and... to him it was too hard to describe. She opted out of her normal clothes in exchange for a simple dark blue cocktail dress. If you asked him what she looked like that night, he would've surely said "Absolutely flawless."

She was the first to speak, "I can tell from your stunned silence that you find me rather attractive. Am I correct?"

Miles nodded, "Indeed you are. May I escort you to the car, Miss von Karma?"

She let out a small laugh before saying, "You may, Mister Edgeworth."

The formal air may have been gone, but hey, why not make fun of their overly formal attitudes while they were a couple?

After a Short Drive

Miles now stood in front of the Wright Anything Agency's door with a pit of uncertainty in his stomach. Franziska stood next to him, waiting for him to pluck up his courage. Of course, she wasn't waiting very patiently, but she was waiting nonetheless, which was a very astonishing thing to see her do.

When Miles finally did knock on the door, it opened to reveal to the two prosecutors Phoenix Wright, still looking as shabby as he did the last time Miles saw him (which was very early in the morning if you want to get technical). At first, Phoenix had a small, welcoming smile on his face, but as soon as he saw Miles, his smile faded and his face became unreadable. Miles spoke first, "Hello Phoenix."

Phoenix scoffed, "Well, well, well. Since when were we ever on a first name basis Edgeworth?"

Miles was slightly surprised by Phoenix's attitude with him, but he shook it off, figuring that it was because of his own harshness that he took up with Phoenix the day previous. Edgeworth took this in stride however, and said in an even tone, "Phoenix, please forgive me. I was not myself yesterday, you can understand that. This month was one of the worst of my life after all."

Phoenix still didn't look sure. Miles then held up his hand to reveal a bottle of Pinot Noir that had been in his basement since 2013. As he did he said, "Peace offering?"

The smile returned to Phoenix's face as he took the wine and invited Miles into his home/talent agency/law firm, but then he saw the person standing next to Miles, "Franziska von Karma, is that you?"

She smirked, "It's nice to see that you recognize me Phoenix Wright. How have you been?"

Phoenix laughed a small laugh, "What's this? Is Franziska von Karma, one of the most arrogant, if not _the _most arrogant person I've ever met treating me like an equal? Is this my Christmas present from you?"

Miles could almost picture the hellfire that was burning in Franziska's eyes as she stared at Phoenix. The both of them knew that he only said that because he saw that she didn't have her whip, but the next time she saw him, there would be hell to pay, she could assure you. Before she could get any ideas as to haw she could hurt Phoenix without the whip, Miles intervened, "I invited her here Wright, I hope you don't mind."

Phoenix shrugged, "Not really. The more the merrier after all."

All three walked inside and the two new guests were greeted by all those who had gotten there earlier. At first, there was a relative unease all around. Apparently word spread fast about how much of a scrooge Edgeworth was the day before, not to mention the loose cannon called Franziska von Karma, but as they socialized and made their way around, the people started to warm up to them. Of course Maya was the first to open up to them, after all, they did help to save her life. Twice. Eventually everyone was comfortable and a friendly atmosphere seemed to cover the room.

It was about an hour and a half later when Miles found himself at the refreshment table. He was about to eat a pate-covered cracker (yes, even at parties Miles still couldn't bring himself to eat junk food), when he heard a splashing noise, coupled with a German accent shouting, "Ach! What happened! My suit is ruined!"

Turning toward the shouting, he saw Klavier Gavin looking at his punch-drenched and now sticky suit in disgust. Miles smiled inwardly. So, was Mia here playing matchmaker again, or was it just a coincidence? Normally, he would've answered that question with the coincidence answer, but today, he was leaning a little bit more to the supernatural answer.

Meanwhile, Franziska was also fairing well. She had struck up a conversation with Ema about their mutual dislike of prosecutors like Klavier Gavin and other such fools. Ema also told Franziska about how she hated that people thought that she and Klavier were a couple, just because he was nearby every single minute of their workdays together. Franziska also brought up that her boyfriend had a similar problem with a very annoying old woman, and that it got so bad that he eventually had to file a restraining order for her. Of course, Ema could only dream of such things happening for her.

Miles on the other hand was going around the small space, talking to all the people that he could. Eventually, he found the short, 15 year old magician girl, working on a card trick, which was proving to be impossible considering that every few moments she would cough up a storm and blow the cards away, making the exercise a little pointless. However, Trucy's eyes lit up when she saw the bespectacled prosecutor, and said, "Mr. Edgeworth! You came!"

Edgeworth chuckled. Even though his words were harsh, she didn't even hold it against him. He then sat down beside her and said, "Hello Trucy. I apologize about how I acted yesterday, it was very rude of me."

"It's okay.", she said, before coughing a moment, "Daddy said that you usually get irritated this time of year. I can understand why."

"Thank you.", he said with a smile, "Now then, what are you trying to do with those cards?"

"Trying to turn a entire deck of Jokers into a regular deck.", she explained, pouting, "But my stupid cough is distracting me..."

"Yes...", he said in a regretful tone, "I know about... your condition."

"You do?", she asked, slightly surprised. Why wouldn't she be? After all, she had never told him about the fact that she had incuritis.

"I do.", he said in confirmation, "And I want you to know that I want to help you in anyway that I can, believe me."

"Wow... thank you Mr. Edgeworth...", Trucy said.

"You're most welcome.", he said, with a small smile. He then looked up and noticed that Franziska was alone. His smile grew as he said, "Now, I need to do something. I'll be right back."

Standing back up, he walked over to Franziska and said, "Come on, I want to show you something."

Franziska didn't stay anything, and instead followed Miles outside the apartment and up the stairs and onto the roof of the building. Franziska had a smile on her face as she said, "So, what is it that you wanted to show me?"

"Nothing much...", Miles said in a coy fashion, "Except for this."

He then presented the black velvet box, which Franziska looked at wide-eyed. She took it and opened it, seeing the wonderful necklace that her new lover had bought her. Her smile grew wide as she leaned in and kissed Edgeworth, saying, "I love it. Thank you."

The rest of the evening was just as perfect.

December 26th

Gumshoe was late reporting to his superior prosecutor, and that wasn't going to make Edgeworth very happy. But there was still the chance that Edgeworth wouldn't notice. Maybe he hadn't looked at the clock, and wouldn't notice him being-

"You're late, Detective."

Well, there went that hope. Sighing, Gumshoe pushed his way through the door and stood dejectedly in the middle of the office, saying, "Sorry Mr. Edgeworth, sir. I stayed up late last night."

"That's no excuse.", Edgeworth said coldly as he stood up from behind his desk. He then walked around it and said, "I can't accept behavior such as this, Detective. It isn't something any man of the law should do."

Gumshoe was getting desperate, "I'm sorry, Mr. Edgeworth! It won't happen again!"

"I'm sorry, Detective, but you need punishment.", Edgeworth replied.

This was it. This was the moment that he lost his job. The moment he could say goodbye to being a respected member of the police force. All undone in a flash.

"So, that's why I'm going to give you a raise, more vacation time, and a Christmas bonus."

And that was that. Never again would he walk the halls of justice, never again would- wait, what? Gumshoe looked amazed, "R-Really, sir? Are you okay?"

Edgeworth smiled warmly, "I've never felt better detective. Now, go and use some of that vacation time! You need a few days off."

Gumshoe didn't know what to say. Never before had the words, "Give you a raise.", been said to him, at least not in jest. But to hear it was like hearing an angelic choir. He felt so grateful, and so happy, that he couldn't help but tear up and say, "Th-thank you, Mr. Edgeworth..."

Edgeworth clapped Gumshoe on the shoulder, "You're a good man Detective. We need more people like you on the force."

At this Gumshoe laughed, "More of me? If that would happen, nothing would get solved!"

Edgeworth had a good laugh as well, "Yes, yes. Now get going, I'm sure there are others who want to see you today."

"There sure are Mr. Edgeworth.", Gumshoe said with a smile as he left.

And so it was that Miles Edgeworth held Christmas very close now. He knew that the past did not define him, the present could be fixed, and the future was unwritten. It helped him patch up his relationship with Franziska, Phoenix, Gumshoe, near everyone he's hurt. And to Trucy, who because of Miles' interference, did NOT die, he became something akin to a close uncle. And somewhere up above, his father knew that his son would get on with life just fine...


End file.
